If you're stuck home wondering what to do, then join many of our other customers who are trying out brand new hair colours! Through our huge online range of hair dye and crazy colours, it's easy to find a wild new shade that you might not otherwise try. Due to current circumstances, many of you might be trying to dye your hair at home and for some it might even be the first time (eek!). To help you go wild with colour we've compiled some of our top dyeing hair at home FAQs to help you achieve hair dye greatness.

If you've not found your new shade yet, then what are you doing here? Head over to our hub of hair dye colours so you can find yourself an exciting new shade. With brands such as Manic Panic, Crazy Color and La Riche Directions; you're sure to be spoiled for choice for your next home hair dye experiment. Go green, be pretty in pink or be blue and beautiful with a crazy range of shades and colours.

Do I Just Open The Pot & Apply?

Steady on now! There are a couple of things you should do and check before the hair dye goes anywhere near your lovely locks. Here's a quickfire checklist to work through:

  • Patch Test - checking for an allergic reaction is hugely important before application. Apply a small amount to a patch of skin to test for any reaction.
  • Strand Test - will your hair colour transformation completely work with your natural shade? Apply the dye to a small streak of hair (maybe somewhere not too noticeable). Not getting the colour you want, you may need to...
  • Bleach Your Hair - pre-lightening your hair can help you enhance the final look of your hair dye. We've included a few tips on bleaching below.
  • Prepare Your Work Station - before you crack open the dye then make sure you have -> old clothes on, surfaces covered and plenty of spare towels (ones you don't mind getting messy)

All these small tasks should be ticked off before you begin the full hair dyeing process. We always say to make sure you have read all instructions and consulted all necessary guidance. However, if you're reading this that's already a big tick in the box (woo!).

Do I Need To Bleach My Hair?

For some, bleaching the hair can be much of a daunting task as dyeing. We feel ya, the word bleach always sounds a bit daunting when it comes to your hair. However, it's nothing to fret over there's plenty of guidance and top tips available for those looking to bleach hair at home. The main aim of dyeing hair is to lighten your natural colour. Lighter hair dye colours, especially pastels, will not show up well if directly placed onto darker colours of hair. Here are a few quick tips for dyeing hair at home:

  • Follow The Instructions - okay, we appreciated we may sound like a broken record, but you'd be surprised how many people often don't read any instructions. Perfect planning equals even better results and, especially when it comes to bleach, you ought to know the ins and outs of what you are about to place onto your hair!
  • How Light Do You Need To Go? - many hair dyes have a recommended level of 'lightness' that hair should be in order to get best results. Different bleach kits have different lengths of time that the bleach needs to be left on the hair for. The longer you leave it, the lighter it goes, so make sure to have a timer ready so you can keep track.
  • Gently Does It - hair bleach is not something you want to spill, or get in unintended places! It can act as an irritant to the skin, so make sure to wear gloves and to cover any areas of skin where you do not want the bleach to come into contact with. When applying to the hair, be gentle and precise and try to not get any on the scalp. 

If you've conquered the bleaching stage, then we think that you're more than ready to conquer the upcoming hair dye challenge. Take a minute to clean up from bleaching and then start to make your preparations for applying hair dye at home. Note that some bleaches recommend a period of time between bleaching and then dyeing the hair.

How To Dye Hair At Home

Whilst we can think of nothing better than sitting down and reading an extensive home hair dye guide, sometimes it can be easier to sit back and watch a good ol' video tutorial. This clip from hair dye brand Manic Panic covers plenty of top how to tips and plenty of advice for new hair dye users. We definitely recommend taking some notes from this one!

I've Spilled Some Hair Dye! What Do I Do?

Some do say that hindsight is a beautiful thing, but when you are looking at a blob of bright red hair dye on a cream carpet you do kinda wish you put down some extra towels. But not to worry, there are plenty of ways you can remove hair dye stains from all kinds of surfaces. Here are some home remedies that you could try out:

  • Try some toothpaste with warm water. Use an older brush or rag to rub the stain. Use a circular motion to try and lift the colour.
  • Mix equal parts baking soda and washing up soap into a paste-like mixture and use a cloth to clean. apply to the hair dye stain.
  • Use a small amount of rubbing alcohol onto a home cloth and wipe onto the stained surface using a cloth.

Home Hair Dye Options

If all this home hair dyeing sounds like hard work, then there are plenty of other ways to get involved with the hair colouring fun. Hair chalk and temporary gels are perfect ways to experiment and have fun with exciting new shades. Normally we recommend these for parties and festivals, but now we're throwing out the rule book and trying new colours 24/7. every day of the week!

But wait, there's more! Yet another option for colouring your hair is to try out some of our Manic Panic Minis. Enjoy the full throttle colour of Manic Panic but in a smaller amount. Perfect for streak and maybe a tester pot if you aren't quite sure on your perfect colour quite yet. As well as the single bottle options, you can pick up bumper 5 packs which contain enough dye for a whole head of hair!

If you're already sporting an exciting shade of hair dye then we'd love to see it! We're always looking to share customer photos on Facebook and Instagram so we can show the world just how good crazy hair colours can look. Find us at 'Blue Banana' on Facebook and '@BlueBananaUK' on Instagram! We can't wait for you to share your colourful creations with us.